


Bad Karma

by Ravenclaw_bae (hahathatsgay)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Complete, F/M, M/M, Original Character Death(s), Slow Burn, gregory goyle is a stress eater, hermione is nice to the slytherins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-15 17:10:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11235489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hahathatsgay/pseuds/Ravenclaw_bae
Summary: Harry thought that once the war was over, everything would be fine again. But once students start dropping dead left and right, he realizes that his work as a hero is not done. And what does Draco Malfoy have to do with this?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> bad karma  
> baby that's what you got  
> bad karma  
> whether you believe it or not  
> the universe is gonna getcha  
> you'll be scratching the seven year itch  
> you know what i think?  
> bad karma's a bitch
> 
> \- "Bad Karma" by Ida Maria

“Help me!” she yelled, limping down the hall. She had blood dripping down from the wound in her leg. She had been caught off guard when a masked figure approached her and stabbed her in the thigh with a butcher knife. She hadn’t even had time to grab her wand and defend herself. Instead she stumbled down the steps, yelling as loudly as she could for anyone to help her.

She looked behind her to see her attacker trailing behind her at a leisurely pace. It was as if they were taking a walk through the woods. She was almost offended that they didn’t put more effort into trying to catch her. It was like they didn’t expect her to get very far.

She approached a staircase and was about to descend when she felt something plunge into her back. She gasped as she lost her footing and tumbled down the steps.

The masked figure tilted their head as they stared at their victim. She was laying at the bottom of the staircase, her head at an odd angle as her neck was broken, and a knife sticking out of her back. They contemplated grabbing their knife but decided against it as they knew students would be getting out of bed soon and they didn’t want to be caught at the scene. Besides they could go to the kitchens and steal another knife if need be. With a swish of their robes, they fled the scene, leaving the body for some poor bystander to find. The thought made them grin behind their mask.

* * *

“Can you believe Malfoy came back?” Ron Weasley said to his best friend and girlfriend during breakfast one morning. In his opinion, the pointy git should’ve been in Azkaban. But because of his best friend’s testimony at the Death Eater’s trial, he was allowed back into the Wizarding World scot-free. It made him sick.

“I think it’s nice he’s finishing his education,” Hermione said, giving her boyfriend a look. “I know you don’t like him, Ronald, but I think you should let the past go and at least try to be civil to him.” She’d be the first to admit that Draco Malfoy was an utter git during most, okay all, of their years at Hogwarts, but it was refreshing to see him trying to change.

Ron gaped at her, “Let the past go? You’re joking, right, ‘Mione?” He looked to Harry for back up only to find him staring at Malfoy from across the Great Hall. “Are you hearing this, mate?”

Harry snapped out of his trance, his gaze switching to Ron, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Really, Harry?” Hermione sighed, exasperated. “You’ve been back for a month and you’re already obsessing over Malfoy.” She sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be sixth year all over again.

“I’m not obsessing over Malfoy,” Harry protested. “I’m just making sure he’s not up to anything. He may act like he’s changed, but we all know how he really is.” He glanced back at Draco who was frowning over an owl he had received.

“Draco, honey, what is it?” Pansy asked, looking over her friend’s shoulder. She didn’t get a chance to read the letter, however, because Draco crumpled it up and put it in his pocket. She pouted. Ever since they had come back to Hogwarts for their eighth year, Greg, Blaise, Draco, and her stuck together. Pansy had been the one to suggest it and surprisingly, Draco backed her up. She knew that people would not approve of them coming back even though McGonagall trusted them, so she decided that they would have each other’s backs. They didn’t need anyone else.

Draco ignored Pansy’s pout and went back to eating. He sat there for a good three minutes when he felt eyes burning holes into his back. Turning around, he locked eyes with Potter. Of course, Potter would be staring him down from across the Great Hall. The Chosen One probably thought he was up to no good. Not that there was anything Draco and his friends could do even if they wanted to start trouble. Voldemort was dead and most of his followers, too, and if they weren’t dead, they were in Azkaban. There was only so much four former Death Eaters could do, and starting trouble was not on their agenda.

Draco decided he wasn’t hungry anymore so he stood up and stalked off. He couldn’t take Potter and his little friends staring at him as if he was still a threat. Because he wasn’t. He just wanted to survive this school year and then he was home free. He could move to France or Germany or someplace where no one knew who he was. Maybe he could convince his mother to leave that awful Manor and they could live happily.

He was lost in his thoughts when he suddenly tripped over something, sending him sprawling across the floor. Groaning, he slowly sat up and rubbed his head. He looked behind him to see what had tripped him only to gasp in shock. Lying face down with a knife sticking out of her back was a girl that he vaguely recognized as a third year. Quickly, Draco scrambled away from the dead body. He had no idea what to do. Did he leave her for some other poor student to find or did he go get help and risk looking like a killer? His instinct told him to get the hell out of there. Anything could send him to Azkaban but he was pretty sure being in the same place as a dead body was a sure-fire way to get him locked up. On the other hand, he and his friends would most likely be the first suspects. Maybe if he did tell someone, people wouldn’t assume the worst.

Making up his mind, Draco stood up and dusted off his robes. He grabbed his wand which had rolled away from him when he had fallen and headed to the Great Hall to tell McGonagall about the grim situation. He hesitated and looked back at the poor girl. She was so young and yet here she was, lying dead at the bottom of a staircase. The war was over. No one else should have to suffer like this. Draco turned back around and walked back into the Great Hall, his head held up high. He made his way over to the head table when some fifth year ran in.

“Marietta Jorkins is dead!” he announced. The announcement caused a big stir over the Great Hall as everyone began to stand up and leave, probably going to see the dead body.

McGonagall stood up swiftly, “Everyone is to remain in the Great Hall until we have told you it is safe to leave.” She and several teachers hurried out of the Hall. The boy followed them to show them where he had found the body.

Everyone’s eyes landed on Draco and he wondered if they could hear his heart hammering in his chest. They probably all thought he did it. He had just come in right before that kid made the announcement. This is exactly what he was trying to avoid. Shakily, he went to sit by Pansy and the others.

“Do you think she’s really dead?”

“I bet you Draco Malfoy did it.”

“Not possible. He didn’t have enough time.”

“Maybe he has a time turner. It was probably a gift from You-Know-Who.”

“It was probably one of those Slytherins. I knew they should’ve gone to Azkaban.”

Pansy sneered at everyone who was staring at Draco, but she couldn’t keep them from saying those horrible things. She placed a hand on Draco’s shoulder, hoping to comfort her but he just shrugged her off.

“What happened?” Blaise asked, leaning across the table to talk to his friend. Draco just shook his head, obviously not wanting to talk about it. Blaise nodded, respecting his wishes, and turned to look at Greg who was stuffing his face. “Really, Greg? How can you eat at a time like this?”

“I eat when I’m stressed!” He moaned through a mouthful of eggs. “You know this, Zabini!”

“Marietta was a muggleborn,” Hermione told Ron and Harry. Neville and Ginny looked over at her to hear what she was saying as well. “Whoever killed her must be making a point.” She bit her lip and looked over at the Slytherin table, worriedly. To be honest, they looked worried as well. Malfoy was pale, well paler than normal, and Parkinson seemed to be trying to get him to talk to her. Zabini stayed quiet but he kept his eyes on his friend while Goyle was shoveling food in his mouth.

Ron opened his mouth to say something but he was cut off by the arrival of the teachers that had gone off to look for the body. Everyone watched them, awaiting the news. At the grim looks on their faces, their fears were confirmed.

There was a scream and the students turned to look at a Ravenclaw standing up, her hand covering her mouth. Hermione recognized her as Marnie Jorkins, Marietta’s older sister. Marnie looked devastated as her knees buckled under her and she fell to the ground. A sob wracked through her body. McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey hurried over to her and helped her up.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” Marnie shouted at Draco and his friends. “You shouldn’t have come back! You’re the ones who should be dead, not Marietta!”

“Miss Jorkins that is enough,” McGonagall said, sternly. “Poppy, please escort Miss Jorkins to the hospital wing.” Pomfrey nodded and took Marnie away. McGonagall cleared her throat. “Time for class. Everyone please report to your classrooms.” The students stood up and made their way out of the Great Hall.

“And here I thought we would finally have a normal year,” Harry muttered to his friends.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know I act  
> You know I act  
> Like it doesn't hurt, no  
> Like it doesn't hurt, no  
> You know the fact  
> You know the fact  
> You drag me in your dirt, oh  
> Like it doesn't hurt, no
> 
> \- "Like It Doesn't Hurt" by Charlotte Cardin

“I can’t believe we are having class right after a girl was found dead in the corridors!” Pansy was complaining as they walked to their next class. She glanced at Draco, trying to gauge his reaction but he didn’t say anything. He hadn’t spoken a word since Marietta was pronounced dead. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. She wished he would say something.

“Not to alarm you, Draco, but Potter and Company are heading straight towards us and they do not look happy,” Blaise murmured to Draco. He glanced at Greg who produced a bagel from Merlin knows where. “Really Greg?”

“I’m stressing, mate!” Greg mumbled around his bagel. “I can’t help it.” He took another bite of his bagel as the Golden Trio approached them.

“Can I have a word with you, Malfoy?” Harry asked. He needed to know exactly what happened after Malfoy left the Great Hall that morning. Hermione had said they shouldn’t accuse the Slytherins of anything before they talked to them. So, Harry was going to talk to them.

“Anything you have to say to Draco, you can say to us,” Pansy said, stepping in front of Draco. There was no way in hell she was going to let Draco tell Potter, of all people, what happened before he told his own friends.

Hermione spoke up, “We just wanted to know if Draco saw anything when he left the Great Hall this morning during breakfast.” She saw Ron giving her a look and mouthing ‘Draco?’ to her. She rolled her eyes and ignored him. She was being civil and civility meant calling him by his first name. It was a bit silly to continue calling him Malfoy.

“I found her,” Draco said, causing all six heads to whip towards him. “I found her body.”

Pansy automatically wrapped her arms around him and he let her. She was just being a good friend and trying to comfort him so he didn’t bother pushing her away.

Harry narrowed his eyes, “You found her? Or you killed her?”

“Harry!” Hermione gasped, shocked by her friend’s accusation. He didn’t have the right to just accuse Draco of murder. Draco might’ve been a lot of things, but a murderer? Not likely.

“He’s certainly capable,” Harry said, his eyes not drifting from Malfoy. “He’s done terrible things. I don’t find it very unlikely that he killed an innocent girl.”

One moment, the two were glaring at each other and the next Draco had Potter pinned up against the wall, his wand at his throat. Blaise and Greg immediately went to pull him off Potter before Draco did something he might regret.

“Just leave him alone, Potter,” Blaise spat. He and Greg led Draco down the corridor while Pansy followed behind them.

Hermione gave Harry a look, “Oh, Harry, was that really necessary?”

Harry shifted under her gaze. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint Hermione. That was almost as bad as disappointing Molly and he had already done that this summer when he and Ginny announced that they were not getting back together. “I’m sorry if the prat was acting suspicious this morning!”

“But to accuse him of murder?” Hermione asked, shrilly. “I expected more from you, Harry James Potter. We are supposed to be getting along with them, not antagonizing them!”

“They antagonize us all the time!” Ron stepped in, ready to defend his best friend. He sincerely regretted it, however, the moment Hermione laid her eyes on him.

“Name one time this year they have gone out of their way to argue with you or Harry,” Hermione demanded, placing her hands on her hips. When Ron didn’t say anything, she gave him a triumphant look. “The other day, Goyle actually apologized to me for his behavior in the past.” The boys gaped at her. “And Pansy and I are potions partners and we get on quite well.” She sighed and dropped her hands. “They’ve changed, Ronald. And I think you two should as well.” Hermione turned around and headed off to class.  

* * *

Draco was in the library, looking for a book he could use to write his transfiguration essay. Madame Pince had said that the book was there but Draco could not find it for the life of him. Groaning, he went to the other bookshelf. Perhaps someone had misplaced it and Pince did not know yet. He’d tell her when he found it so she could check to make sure all the other books were in the right spot.

Draco heard footsteps behind him and he straightened, turning around only to find no one there. Draco frowned, looking around the library. Not many people were in there as it was a few hours before curfew and no one wanted to stay up late working on homework. The few people that were there were a few Ravenclaws and a couple snogging in the back corner. Shrugging it off, Draco went back to searching for that stupid book.

“Oh, come on,” he muttered. “Where is it?” He smacked his hand against the bookshelf, growing angry. Pince was wrong. This book was not there.

“Looking for this?”

Draco jumped, spinning around to find himself face to face with Harry Potter. He looked at the book in his hand, recognizing it to be the one he was looking for. He reached for it and Potter gave it to him, “Thanks, I guess.” He was about to stalk back to his table, not wanting to be in the Savior’s presence any longer.

“Look, Malfoy, I’m sorry,” he heard Potter say. He couldn’t believe it. Did the Golden Boy just apologize to him?

Harry wanted to puke after he uttered those four words. He didn’t want to apologize to Malfoy in the first place but Hermione insisted that he should. In truth, he did feel a bit bad for accusing Malfoy of murder. Anyone could see he was shaken up after this morning. Harry had seen his share of dead bodies and he figured Malfoy had, too, but seeing one so soon after the war had ended? Even Harry was shaken up. This was supposed to be over but apparently, he was wrong.

“I shouldn’t have accused you of killing Marietta,” Harry continued. “I wasn’t being fair and I was letting the past cloud my judgement.”

“I didn’t know you were so eloquent,” Draco found himself saying. He wanted to slap himself. Here was Potter apologizing to him and Draco went ahead and started insulting him.

Harry scowled, “I should’ve known you hadn’t changed, Malfoy. You think you’re better than me but I’m not the one with the Dark Mark on my arm.”

Draco recoiled as if he had been slapped. That was a low blow and Potter knew it. Holding his head up high, Draco spun around on his heel and went back to grab his belongings. He wanted to get back to his dorm and crawl into bed and sleep this day away.

Harry sighed, following him, “Malfoy. Malfoy, listen, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No. You shouldn’t have,” Draco muttered, not bothering to look back. He was too busy grabbing his things.

“I guess old habits die hard,” Harry said, trying to inject some humor into the situation and failing horribly. “Okay, can we just start over?”

This time Draco did whirl around to face him, “Start over? You want to start over? How far do you want to go back, Potter? Back to before you just insulted me? Or back to before you accused me of murder? Or how about back to before _you refused my friendship_ back when we were eleven? Is that far enough for you?”

“Malfoy-”

“No, you listen, Potter. We have too much history for us to just _start over_. It’s far too complicated for that.” Draco was seething at this point but he controlled himself enough to grab his things. “Don’t speak to me and I won’t speak to you. It’s as easy as that, Potter.”

Harry watched as Malfoy stomped out of the library and he knew one thing was sure. He screwed things up, royally.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream once, scream twice, now scream again  
> Cover that face with your red right hand
> 
> \- "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

They tightened their grip on the knife in their hand as they watched their victim from the shadows of the prefect’s bathroom. Lounging in the water was the fifth year Gryffindor prefect, Lee Whitby. He had already finished bathing and was just letting the water soothe the knots in his back. He always treated himself to a bath on Sundays and after the chaos of this week, he couldn’t think of a better way to relax.

Lee had closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the water. It was the perfect temperature and it was times like these he was so glad he was a wizard.

He heard a sound and he opened his eyes, glancing around, “Hello?” He swam to the middle of the bath so he could look around the bathroom. “Who’s there?” When he didn’t get a response, he shrugged it off and waded back to where he had been relaxing.

“Calm down, Lee,” he murmured to himself, feeling amused. “You’re being paranoid.” Laughing quietly, he shook his head and got out of the water to towel off. This time he really did hear a sound and he frowned, spinning around. “Okay, joke’s over. You got me!”

 _Squeak_.

“I can hear your shoes, mate,” Lee snapped, wrapping the towel around his waist. “You’re not sneaky.” He saw a flash of white and he sighed. “Bugger off and let me change, why don’t ya? Unless you want to see my bits.” There was no reply and Lee rolled his eyes and began to get dressed.

Once he was finished, Lee collected his things and turned around to face the door only to find it blocked by a masked figure. His eyes widened as he dropped his things and backed up slightly as the figure stepped towards him. Lee eyed the knife that was in his hand and he licked his lips, nervously. Is this what happened to Marietta? Well, he wasn’t going to die. Not today and not without a fight. All he had to do was get this lunatic away from the door.

Lee darted to the right and the killer copied his move so Lee moved to the left only for the killer to do the same thing. He looked around, trying to think of another tactic when the killer lunged forward. Without thinking, Lee dove underneath the figure’s legs, almost making it to the door. He stood up as quickly as he could and yelped when he felt a sharp pain in his right arm. He looked down to see the knife pulling away and blood dripping from the open wound. Cursing, Lee pushed the killer away from him, causing the person to fall on their back. Unfortunately, they were blocking the door once again.

Lee spotted his wand with his things that he had dropped earlier and he darted towards it. If he could grab it and stun his attacker, he’d be home free. His foot slipped out from under him and he plummeted to the ground. Before he could get back on his feet, he felt two hands grab him and pull him up. Lee was too dazed to fight back and at this point all he could do was plead with the bloke.

“No,” he cried. “Why are you doing this? The war is over!”

The figure ignored his pleas and placed his knife against Lee’s neck. Whitby struggled, but it was no use. The killer slit his throat and listened to his victim gurgle as the blood spurted out of the cut. He unceremoniously threw him in the bath and watched as he floated on the surface, the water slowly turning red.  

* * *

Pansy approached the boys, a towel in her hands, “I am going to take a bath in the prefects’ bathroom. I’ll meet you boys in the Great Hall for breakfast.”

Greg frowned, “But you’re not a prefect, Pansy.”

Pansy sighed and turned around to face them, “Yes, I know that Greg.”

“Then how did you get the password?” Blaise asked, raising an eyebrow. He thought the whole point of sticking together was so none of them got in trouble. The last thing they needed was for Pansy to get caught using the prefects’ bathroom.

“I’m snogging one of the Slytherin prefects,” Pansy said, matter-of-factly. “I think after the stress of this week, I deserve a little R&R before classes today.”

Draco frowned, “I don’t think you should do this, Pans. What if you get caught?”

Pansy rolled her eyes. Seriously? They were cutting into her relaxation time. “Draco, you don’t need to worry. But if it makes you feel better, I already talked to all of the Slytherin prefects and they’re fine with it.”

“Whoa,” Blaise said, stepping in. “They’re actually okay with this? What happened to giving us the cold shoulder? They practically acted like the Dark Mark was contagious or something.”

Pansy smirked at the darker skinned boy, “You’re forgetting one simple fact, Blaise. I’m a girl.” She patted his cheek. “Don’t wait up.”

Draco watched her walk away, whistling a tune he didn’t recognize, “What are we going to do if she gets in trouble?”

“Easy. I’m deaf and you don’t speak English,” Blaise said. “Now come on and get dressed. I’m starving and if I’m late to breakfast one more time because you’re too busy fixing your hair, I’m cutting all of it off in your sleep.”

Draco scowled, “Touch my hair and I’ll hex your bits off.”

Pansy set her things down by the edge of the tub and quickly undressed. Thanks to the boys, she now had even less time to relax. She understood where they were coming from. Any little thing could get them in trouble. It was almost like everyone was waiting for one of them to screw up so they could ship them off to Azkaban. She sighed, bitterly, at the thought. She was tired of walking around on eggshells to keep everyone happy. They made a mistake, a rather big one but a mistake nonetheless, but they were just children. That had to count for something.

Pansy didn’t have time to think about the past. She had to focus on the present. So she dipped a toe in the water and sighed happily at the warm temperature. She lowered herself in and closed her eyes, adjusting to the water. Once she was ready, she began messing with the taps. She closed her eyes as she began lathering her hair with soap, only opening them to wash the soap off her hands. When she looked down, she frowned at the red color of the soap. She sincerely hoped it wouldn’t stain her skin. Shaking it off, she rinsed her head off and turned on another tap, this one to add some bubbles to the bath.

“Huh?” she murmured as she watched a red liquid rather than bubbles flow from the tap. She turned on another tap only to have the same thing happen. Frowning, Pansy stuck her hand under the flow and looked at the substance in her hand. It was warm and sticky and familiar. It suddenly pieced together in her mind and she gagged. Her hand was covered in blood as well as most of her body and she began to panic.

“No, no, no, no, no,” she stammered, trying to turn off the faucets. She struggled to get out of the water but she managed it. Pansy leaned over the edge and peered into the water when she saw something strange floating. She stood up in horror as she saw a dead body break the surface of the water. Pansy opened her mouth and let out a shrill scream.

Harry had taken it upon himself to walk the corridors to make sure everything was alright. He might not have been a prefect but he was the savior of the wizarding world and he did not kill Voldemort only to have someone else start murdering people in the only safe space he had ever known. He had told his friends about his plan and they decided to take turns, roaming the halls and keeping an eye out for any suspicious behavior. Ginny, Luna, and Neville had agreed to it as well, and Harry had never been more grateful for them. They had planned on starting that night but Harry decided that it wouldn’t hurt to take a look around before breakfast. He was walking around the fifth floor when he heard a scream from the prefects’ bathroom. He thanked Merlin that he knew the password and he burst into the room to find a blood covered Pansy staring at the dead body of a Gryffindor prefect in the large tub.

“Bugger,” Harry muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we all know how to fake it baby  
> And all we know is gone  
> We must be killers  
> Children of the wild ones  
> Killers  
> Where we got left to run?
> 
> \- "We Must Be Killers" by Mikky Ekko

Draco and Blaise hurried down the corridor where they saw Pansy wrapped in a towel, blood staining her body. She was crying as she explained what happened to McGonagall. Potter, Granger, and the Weasel were there as well, listening to what Pansy was saying.

Draco glanced into the bathroom and winced at the sight of yet another dead body. If he never saw a corpse again, it’d be too soon. Shuddering, he turned back to Pansy and locked eyes with Potter who was staring at him, curiously.

“I know I shouldn’t have been in there,” Pansy was saying to McGonagall. “But I was feeling really stressed and so I got the password from somebody. I just wanted to take a quick bath.” She saw Draco and her face crumpled as she burst into tears again.

Draco hesitated before taking her into his arms. He was getting blood all over his robes but he tried to push that thought away. Pansy needed him right now and he wasn’t going to be selfish. Or at least he was going to try not to be, anyway.

McGonagall sighed, “I am going to have to take fifty points away from Slytherin but I will spare you a detention, Miss Parkinson. You have been through enough today.” Pansy nodded, tearfully and McGonagall turned to Hermione. “Miss Granger, can you please take Miss Parkinson to get washed up?”

Granger nodded and she and Pansy left. Draco watched them leave, feeling oddly protective over the pug faced girl. Blaise placed a hand on his shoulder, watching the girls walk away as well.

“Two murders,” McGonagall muttered, shaking her head. “I suppose we should cancel classes today.” She looked up at the Slytherin boys. “Where is Mister Goyle? I would’ve thought he would be here with the two of you.”

“He didn’t want to miss breakfast,” Draco said.

At McGonagall’s raised eyebrow, Blaise jumped in, “He’s a stress eater.”

McGonagall looked amused but she didn’t say anything. Instead she walked off, presumably to break the news to the rest of the student body. Draco turned to Potter and the Weasel, feeling a bit uncomfortable. The Weasel had an awful look on his face while Potter looked lost in thought.

“Whitby was a muggleborn,” the Weasel said. “And he had the word ‘mudbloood’ carved into his arm. Suppose you wouldn’t know anything about that.”

Blaise stepped in front of Draco, “If this is your way of accusing us of murder, it’s not appreciated. Besides, I believe Potter did enough of that the other day. Come on, Draco. Let’s go find Greg and tell him what happened.”

He and Draco turned to leave but Potter reached out and grabbed Draco’s arm, causing him to spin around and wrench his arm away as if he had been burned. Potter ignored his reaction, “You might want to watch over Parkinson. She was pretty shaken up when I found her.”

Draco frowned, “You were the one who found her?”

“I was patrolling the corridors,” Harry said. “I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

“What a bang up job you did,” Draco snapped. He stepped forward. “I know you have a hero complex, Potter, but my friends and I have nothing to do with this.”

“I believe you,” Harry murmured. Well, he partly believed him. Pansy obviously was not involved if her reaction was anything to go by. She had been horrified and he doubted even a Slytherin could fake that.

Draco paused, “You do?” He sniffed, haughtily, raising his chin in defiance. “Well of course you do. Because I am telling the truth. Now if you don’t mind, we are going to leave now.”

Ron turned to Harry as soon as the Slytherins left, “You really think they’re innocent?”

Harry snorted, “Innocent isn’t a word I’d use when describing Malfoy. But, no, I don’t think they’re the ones killing people. Have you seen the way they’ve been acting since the year began?”

“No, because I’m not obsessed with Malfoy, mate.”

Harry ignored him, “They’ve been trying to get by. You know, keeping their heads down, doing their work, staying out of trouble. I don’t understand why they would go out of their way to blend in with the rest of the students only to start killing people.”

“Maybe it’s an act,” Ron supplied, helpfully.

“Maybe,” Harry said. “But I doubt it.”

* * *

 

“Do you think they’re targeting muggleborns?” Neville asked later that day in the Gryffindor common room. “Because if so, you should really watch out, Hermione. You may be next.”

“You can barely discern a pattern from two data points,” Hermione murmured. “If the next one is a muggleborn, then I’ll start to worry.”

“There isn’t going to be a next one,” Harry snapped. “No one else is dying. Not under my watch.” Too many people have died. Whoever was doing this, would not get away with it.

 Luna smiled at Harry, dreamily, “You’re such a hero, Harry. Solving crimes despite the wrackspurt infestation.” She wasn’t really supposed to be in there with them, but no one really had the guts to tell the group so.

“Maybe we should try and figure out who might be doing this,” Seamus suggested. “I’m leaning towards Malfoy.”

“It’s not Malfoy,” Harry muttered. Everyone looked at him. “Why would Malfoy go back to the scene of the crime both times?”

“To throw everyone off?” Seamus suggested. “It makes perfect sense!”

“Except it doesn’t,” Hermione cut in. “What is he trying to prove by killing people? The Malfoy name is already tarnished. Draco has nothing to gain.”

“Malfoy is the type to do things only if they benefit him,” Neville agreed.

“Okay, if it isn’t Malfoy, then it has to be one of his friends,” Seamus argued. “And even if he’s not doing the killing, he has to be involved somehow. He could be trying to cover it up.”

“Blaise Zabini is kind of suspicious,” Ginny piped up. “He could be hiding something. Even from his own friends.”

“Can we stop accusing ex-Death Eaters?” Hermione asked. “They’ve given us no reason to suspect that they are up to no good.”

The portrait swung open and Dean walked in, “There’s someone here to see you guys.” He stepped to the side to reveal Gregory Goyle.

Greg stood there looking nervous as the Gryffindors stared at him, suspiciously. He licked his lips before blurting out what had brought him to the lions’ den in the first place, “I think I’m being followed.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pain!  
> You made me a, you made me a believer, believer  
> Pain!  
> You break me down, you build me up, believer, believer  
> Pain!  
> I let the bullets fly, oh let them rain  
> My life, my love, my drive, it came from...  
> Pain!  
> You made me a, you made me a believer, believer
> 
> \- "Believer" by Imagine Dragons

It took almost all night for the Gryffindors to convince Greg that he wasn’t going to die next but he still refused to go back to the dungeons alone. So that was how Harry found himself outside the dungeons with a shaking Goyle by his side. Honestly, did he really think he was going to die next? Harry snorted to himself. Slytherins were so full of themselves.

The wall opened, revealing Draco on the other side. He looked extremely worried as he ushered Greg in, “We were worried about you.”

Goyle looked ashamed, “Sorry. I should’ve told you guys where I was going.” He walked past Draco, leaving the two boys to stare at each other.

“I suppose I should thank you,” Draco muttered. “For bringing Greg back.”

“He thought someone was following him,” Harry informed him, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Last time they were in each other’s presence for this long they had an argument. “He’s convinced he’s next.”

“Is it really that unlikely?” Draco asked, genuinely curious. Wouldn’t they be the probable targets of this little killing spree? He didn’t understand why they weren’t being targeted.

“I don’t know,” Harry admitted. He almost forgot he was talking to _Draco Malfoy_. “The two victims were muggleborn and although Hermione says you can’t figure out a pattern by two… things,” He struggled to remember Hermione’s exact words and he was aware his explanation sounded a bit… lame in comparison. “I really think they are going after muggleborns.”

“Which explains why you think it’s me or my friends,” Draco muttered, tensing up. He did not want to be having this conversation again. He didn’t feel up to defending himself to Potter of all people.

“Thought,” Harry corrected. “I thought it was you.”

Draco raised an eyebrow, “You don’t anymore?”

“Well, I certainly don’t think it’s Goyle,” Harry said, amused. “We had to spend about two hours trying to convince him that he wasn’t the next target.” Malfoy smiled at that and Harry had to admit Malfoy had a nice smile. He should do it more often rather than sneering at anyone and everyone who crossed his path. Harry cleared his throat, a flush creeping up his neck. “And I was the one who found Pansy. Even a Slytherin couldn’t fake that kind of reaction.”

“And what about Blaise?” Draco asked, leaning against the wall. “Is he still a suspect?”

Harry shrugged, “He’s a little too calm about all of this.”

“Blaise is calm about everything. I’ve hardly ever seen him properly upset,” Draco mused, thinking about it.

“And of course, there’s still you.”

“I’m still a suspect? I found the first body.”

“Maybe you’re trying to throw us off,” Harry said, smiling a bit. He didn’t really believe this anymore. Malfoy was a lot of things but he wasn’t killing off students.

Malfoy scoffed, “Yes, I went back to the scene of a crime I committed just to throw everyone off. That makes sense. If I were to kill someone, I’d stay as far away from the crime scene as I could.”

“Good to know,” Harry said. For some reason, he found this banter easy and playful. This had never happened between him and Malfoy. All their insults were cold and cruel. They never just _joked_ around with each other. The thought sent his heart racing and he wanted to get out of there as fast as he could. “Well, I should be going. It’s almost time for curfew.”

“You mean, the Savior doesn’t get to roam around the halls at night?” Draco drawled. “Didn’t stop you before.”

“Yeah, well I’m trying to stay out of trouble this year. I can’t blame my troubles on Voldemort anymore so they expect me to be a good student.” Harry made a face, causing Draco to snicker. Harry could hear his heart pounding in his ears and he turned away. “Anyway, I returned your Goyle so now I’m off.”

“Greg,” he heard Malfoy mutter.

Harry turned around, “Excuse me?”

“His name is Greg,” Malfoy said, stiffly. “You don’t need to call us by our last names. We’re not your enemies anymore.” He wasn’t sure when they stopped, but he was sure they weren’t enemies anymore.

Harry glanced at him, surprised by his sudden rigidness, “You were never my enemy.”

Draco frowned, “I wasn’t?”

Harry let out a sharp laugh, “Merlin, Slytherins certainly think highly of themselves.” He shook his head. “Goodnight, Malfoy.”

Draco watched Potter walk away, feeling more confused than he ever he had ever been in his whole life. He was never Potter’s enemy? Well, that was interesting news. Draco took a deep breath before retreating to his bed. He needed to sleep after that confusing conversation.

* * *

They watched silently as Bella Abberly, a seventh year Hufflepuff, snuck out of the common room. They knew Bella was having a secret relationship with someone but they weren’t sure exactly who. It had to be someone that her friends wouldn’t approve of, hence the sneaking around.

They followed Bella out and as soon as she was far enough away from the common room entrance, they hit her over the head, knocking her out. While Bella was unconscious, they grabbed her by the feet, dragging her down the corridors and carrying her up staircases.

When Bella came to, her hands were tied together and so were her legs. She let out a scream when she felt someone grab her shoulders. She twisted around in their grip and saw a white mask staring back at her. Yelling in fright, she headbutted them, their foreheads colliding with a _smack!_ Bella winced but she ignored the pain, focusing more on trying to escape now that her kidnapper was down. She hopped down the corridor, trying to get as far away from this mad person and hopefully to some help.

She fell to the ground, crying out in pain as she landed on her shoulder. The killer had gotten up now and was heading towards her, so Bella tried to inch her way along the floor. She wasn’t moving very fast since her legs were tied up and her wrists were bound behind her. But she was determined to get away and live to tell the tale.

Bella screamed as loud as she could when the masked figure grabbed her again, slipping a rope around her neck. She flailed around as they picked her up and threw her over the stair railing. The other side of the rope had been tied to the rail, effectively hanging her as she tumbled over the side.

The killer listened to Bella made small noises as the life drained out of her. Her foot twitched before she stayed still, dead. The killer heard footsteps and they ducked into the shadows before anyone saw them.

Blaise had heard screaming and he was certain they were Bella’s. He and the Hufflepuff had secretly been seeing each other for weeks now and he had found himself looking forward to these midnight rendezvouses. He knew it was risky, for the both of them, but especially for him, but he couldn’t help it. He really liked her. Pansy was the only one who knew about the relationship and while he knew he shouldn’t keep it a secret from his friends, he was nervous about what they would say. Draco would be furious that Blaise was putting himself in potential danger like that. He would be even angrier that Blaise had waited this long to tell them. And perhaps Blaise was a bit worried that they wouldn’t approve. Not only was Bella a Hufflepuff, she was a muggleborn as well. The four Slytherins had got over their prejudices a long time ago, but once you had been taught to think a certain way, it was easy to slip back into that mindset.

Blaise’s internal monologue came to an abrupt halt when he came across the horrifying scene in front of him. There was his Bella, hanging from the stair railing. She was obviously dead and Blaise covered his mouth, a strangled noise escaping his throat. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he stared at her lifeless body, hanging there like it was some sort of decoration.

Blaise felt his stomach lurch and he staggered backwards, turning around to throw up his dinner. He braced himself on the wall, his legs shaking too much to hold him up properly. Once he was finished emptying his stomach, he pressed his back against the wall, sliding down to the floor. He finally let his unshed tears fall. He needed to tell someone, needed to get help. But he couldn’t just leave her. She’d want him to stay with her. But he couldn’t wait until morning for someone to do something. He had to do something now.

Making up his mind, Blaise shakily stood up and headed to go tell McGonagall.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You understand I've got a plan for us  
> I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous  
> It must be fate, I found a place for us  
> I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous
> 
> \- "Dangerous" by Left Boy

Minerva had been receiving angry letters from parents all morning. They were demanding their children be taken out of Hogwarts, saying that they should have never let their kids come back, complaining that Hogwarts was about as safe as it had been during the war. It was safe to say that Minerva was experiencing a migraine.

She felt truly awful that another one of her students had been killed last night. It was a tragedy. She wanted to know who was doing this and why. By now it was clear that the killer was targeting muggleborns and Minerva had no idea what to do. Many students were accusing the four Slytherins that had returned for eighth year. “Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater.” But Minerva didn’t quite believe that. These children had been nothing but good all year, staying out of trouble, doing their work, helping with reconstruction. They didn’t seem capable of murder anymore. They’d never seemed capable of it in the first place. They were just scared children who didn’t have any choice. But now they didn’t need to be scared anymore.

Minerva sighed, rubbing her forehead as another owl appeared at the window. It was going to be a long day.  

* * *

The four Slytherins were out walking around the grounds. The air was slightly chilly but they had all decided that fresh air would be good for Blaise. Draco and Greg were nothing but supportive of Blaise and his relationship. They were just upset he hadn’t told him sooner. Perhaps if he had, they could’ve prevented this from happening. Blaise doubted it. If someone was going out of their way to kill people, nothing could keep it from happening.

Pansy had her arm linked through Blaise’s and was telling him jokes, trying to make him smile. She had the biggest smile on her face, obviously fake, but it dropped the minute she saw Potter and his friends approaching them. A scowl replaced the smile as she steered Blaise away from them. He didn’t need a confrontation right now. Not while he was still so fragile.

Harry grabbed Malfoy’s arm. He needed to speak to him, alone. Malfoy put up a bit of a fight but he gave up quickly. “Don’t be a prat, Malfoy.”

“Listen, I don’t know why we’re the ones who keep finding the bodies but-” Malfoy started to say but Harry cut him off.

“I’m not here to accuse you of killing anyone.”

“That’s a first,” Malfoy muttered, glancing at Blaise. “Do we have to do this right now, Potter? Blaise is not in a good place right now and-”

“My friends and I-”

“Will you quit interrupting me?” Malfoy snapped. “Let me finish a sentence, will you?”

“I would if your sentences were worth listening to,” Harry snapped back. “This is important, Malfoy! We are trying to make sure no one else dies.”

“Again, with the hero complex!” Malfoy threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. “I don’t know if you’ve realized this Potter, but you’re not an auror.”

“You’re such a coward!” Harry spat. “How did you survive living in the same manor with Voldemort?” He was surprised when Malfoy slapped him across the face.

Hermione gasped and Ron angrily pushed Malfoy away from Harry, causing the pureblood to fall to the ground.

“Ronald!” Hermione snapped. “We don’t have time for this!” She held out a hand for Malfoy to take so she could help him up. He hesitated but to her surprise he took it. “We wanted you four to join us tonight in the common room. We’re having a bit of a get together and we wanted you to be there.”

Malfoy opened his mouth, probably to decline or just to insult Harry again, but Pansy beat him to it, “We’d love that.” She smiled at Hermione.

Draco gaped at her, “Pansy-” Pansy gave him a look and he shut up.

Ron muttered something under his breath that sounded similar to “whipped” but Hermione looked at him, an eyebrow raised, and he cleared his throat, looking down at the ground.

“So we’ll see you around seven?” Hermione asked.

“We’ll be there,” Pansy smiled.  

* * *

“Why are we here?” Draco hissed to Pansy as they stood outside the portrait leading into the Gryffindor common room.

“Because it’s a party and Blaise needs this,” Pansy whispered back.

“It’s not a party. It’s a Gryffindor get together and it’s going to be boring as hell,” Draco muttered.

“No, it won’t,” Pansy smirked.

“How can you be so sure of that?” Draco asked, looking at her, suspiciously.

Pansy pulled out two bottles of firewhiskey, “Because I have these.”

The portrait swung open and Harry stood on the other side, looking quite unhappy, “’Mione the Slytherins are here!” He stalked off and was replaced by a smiling Granger.

“You came!” she grinned. “Come on in!”

Draco gave Pansy a dirty look before sighing and entering Gryffindor territory. He looked around, feeling uneasy at the sheer number of lions. He was almost happy to see Loony Lovegood and few Hufflepuffs. He grabbed one of the bottles from Pansy and walked off.

Pansy looked at Hermione, “So why did you invite us?”

“Blaise was upset and I thought a party would cheer him up,” Hermione shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

“That’s great,” Pansy eyed her, “but what’s your real reason?”

Hermione sighed, “I thought maybe you could shed some light on the murders that have been happening. Three of you found the bodies. Maybe you saw something or noticed something. Anything can help, Pansy.”

Pansy smirked, “I knew you had a hidden agenda, Granger. You’re thinking like a Slytherin.”

Hermione shuddered, “I wouldn’t go that far.”

Draco was sitting in the corner, sipping on the firewhiskey. He felt someone sit down beside him and he looked over to see Potter staring at him, expectantly.

“Well?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. At Draco’s confused look, Harry sighed. “Are you going to share or what?”

Draco shrugged and handed him the bottle. Maybe if he was somewhat nice to Potter, the evening would go by smoother. He watched the man tilt back his head as he took a long drink from the bottle.

“I can’t believe I defeated Voldemort just to have more people die,” Harry muttered, not really caring if Malfoy heard him. He was so frustrated. He went through war for nothing it seemed. People were still prejudiced and killing muggleborns.

“I just find it odd that none of the victims have been killed with magic,” Draco said. “All the deaths have been very hands on. That doesn’t really scream Death Eater.”

“I’m done accusing you and your friends,” Harry snapped. “Okay? So you can quit-”

“I’m just saying that it’s very unlikely that a Death Eater managed to get into the school and started killing students. I’m trying to cross suspects off the list, Potter.” Draco shook his head. He had many theories, to be honest, but he was unsure of all of them. “It just doesn’t make sense. None of the victims are connected. They’ve been all different houses, all different years. I doubt they even knew each other.”

“Well, maybe it’s not personal,” Harry suggested, taking another sip of firewhiskey. “Maybe someone is just messed up in the head and enjoys killing people.”

“That’s highly unlikely, Potter,” Draco deadpanned.

“Why is it unlikely?” Harry frowned. “It happens to Muggles all the time.”

Draco rolled his eyes. And yet another reason he didn’t like Muggles. He pushed that thought away. “Something has to have triggered it.”

“Not necessarily,” Harry argued.

“If someone were messed up in the head, why would they start killing people now? Why now after the war is over? It makes no sense. There has to be some sort of motive.”

Dean Thomas sat down by them at this moment, “It’s scarier when there isn’t a motive. Norman Bates didn’t have a motive.”

“Who?” Draco frowned. Who was this Norman Bates guy and what did he do?

“Norman Bates had a motive,” Hermione said, joining the conversation. She had read Pyscho one summer and then watched the movie with her parents. She wasn’t a big fan of horror movies but sometimes she found them interesting. “He was tormented by his mother as a child and then took on her persona and killed people.”

“That’s not really a motive,” a Hufflepuff who Draco barely recognized, Zachary Smith or something, spoke up. “He was a pyscho which is why the movie was called Psycho.”

“Can someone please explain to me who Norman Bates is?” Draco snapped, feeling very out of the loop.

“Norman Bates is a character from a horror movie called Pyscho,” Dean Thomas explained.

“It was based off a book of the same title, Dean,” Hermione told him.

“I wouldn’t expect you to know anything about horror movies,” Zander, Draco really needed to figure out his name, sneered. “They’re muggle and we all know how _you_ feel about that.”

Draco bristled, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater,” the Hufflepuff shrugged.

“Zacharias,” Hermione chided. “We are trying to support house unity. Calling Draco names is not helping.”

“I’m not calling anyone names. I’m just telling the truth,” Zacharias said. “They don’t belong back at Hogwarts.”

“If McGonagall trusts them, we should too,” Potter said, angrily. Draco had forgotten he was there. “Malfoy and his friends have done nothing wrong.”

Draco glanced at Potter, surprise written all over his face. He couldn’t believe Potter was defending him.

“Let’s play a game!” Pansy spoke up, holding up an empty firewhiskey bottle. “I suggest truth or dare.”  

* * *

Justin Finch-Fletchley made his way to the bathroom. It was two in the morning and everyone had passed out. They had played many games and Justin had to admit that the Slytherins were fun when they didn’t have sticks up their arses.

He carefully stepped over Ron and headed into the bathroom. He entered a stall and closed the door, locking it. He heard water running and he frowned. He didn’t hear anyone else come in. He looked underneath the stall door but didn’t see anyone despite hearing the faucet running.

Justin slowly unlocked and opened the stall door looking around before finding the sink. He swore that hadn’t been on when he walked in but maybe he just hadn’t noticed it. He walked over to wash his hands when there was a loud bang of a stall door opening and hitting another one. Justin was about to turn around to see who was there when he felt hands grab his head and push his face into the water that had pooled in the sink.

Justin fought against his attacker but they were too strong and determined to keep him under the water. His hands gripped the sides of the sink and his feet scrambled for purchase on the tile floor that was slippery with the water that had splashed out of the sink.

His attacker kept his hold on him until Justin finally stopped resisting.

The killer kept Justin’s head under the water for a few more minutes before they let go, satisfied that Justin was dead. The killer quickly left the room, leaving Justin’s body still leaning against the sink, his head partially in the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was surprised by how many people have read the story. I was happy with just ten but 140? Wow! Thanks. I honestly have no idea how many chapters there are going to be. I have a plan but who really knows how long I can drag this out? Anyway, I added some Scream references in there which is what this story is loosely based off of. I hope you enjoy. I am trying to get chapter seven written so I can have that up soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't wanna hear about the bad blood anymore  
> I don't wanna hear you talk about it anymore  
> I don't wanna hear about the bad blood anymore  
> I don't wanna hear you talk about it anymore
> 
> \- "Bad Blood" by Bastille

Draco woke up to Greg shaking him and crying in his ear. He blinked, starting at the sight of Greg’s face so close to his. Draco’s head was pounding, no doubt a hangover forming, and he gently pushed his friend’s face away from his.

“Draco,” Greg whimpered. “You have to come here. I found something in the bathroom. Something awful.” He sniffled.

Draco hesitated, “Did you say bathroom?” He nearly groaned. That’s exactly how he wanted to spend his morning. Looking for something horrible in the bathroom. “Is anyone else awake?” Greg shook his head. Draco looked around, realizing it was still dark. “Greg, what time is it?”

“Four,” Greg whispered. “You have to get up, Draco. I don’t know what to do.”

Draco sighed, “Alright. I’m up.” He stood up and followed Greg to the bathroom. He stopped in his tracks upon seeing the body. “You have got to be kidding me.” He looked at Goyle. “We have to go back to sleep.”

“What? Why?”

“Because this is suspicious. You heard Zacharias Smith last night. ‘Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater,’” Draco said.

“We can’t just leave him!” Goyle cried.

“We can and we will,” he snapped, grabbing Greg’s arm. “It’s one thing for us to find the bodies of people we didn’t even know. But for us to find the body of someone we had been playing games with just hours prior is a bit suspicious even for us. Now come on, Greg.”

Draco pulled Greg out of the bathroom and back to where they were sleeping. Greg didn’t fight but he did look slightly green.

From the corner, Zacharias Smith watched the two Slytherins come back into the room and he narrowed his eyes.

* * *

When Draco woke up a second time that morning, several people were staring at him. He frowned, “What?”

Potter stepped up, “Malfoy, did you know that Justin Finch-Fletchley was found murdered in the bathroom this morning?”

“I had no idea,” Draco lied. He felt a bit bad. Someone was dead and there he was lying about it but he couldn’t handle getting accused anymore.

“Really? Then can you explain why you were seen leaving the bathroom with Goyle this morning?” Potter asked.

Draco felt his heart pound in his chest as he stood up, “I don’t know what you’re getting at-”

“I saw you this morning,” Zacharias spat. “And when I went in there, Justin was dead.”

Draco stared at Potter, his voice low, “I thought you were done accusing me.”

Potter seemed apologetic, “It’s his word against yours, Malfoy.”

“And of course, you’re not going to believe a Slytherin,” Draco spat. “A Death Eater.” He shook his head. “I’m out of here.” He grabbed his things and left the common room.

Pansy glared at Hermione, “Great party, Granger. Thanks for inviting us.”

Harry watched as the rest of the Slytherins left, not giving them a second glance. He let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair, before hurrying after them. “Malfoy! Malfoy, wait!”

Draco spun around, shocked to see Harry Potter chasing after him, “What could you possibly want, Potter?”

Harry came to a stop in front of him, “I know it’s not you. Yeah, you’re a little suspicious but you’re not doing this.” He swallowed thickly. “Hermione, Ron, and I are looking into things and we were wondering if you four would like to join us. Add some insight, ya know?”

Blaise eyed him, “You want _us_ to help _you_ find the killer?” Potter nodded. “What changed your mind?”

“Malfoy and I had an interesting conversation last night,” Harry said, locking eyes with Draco, causing the pale man to flush slightly. “And he had some good points. You might be useful.”

“Okay,” Pansy stepped in. “We’ll do it. We’ll meet you in the library after dinner tonight.” She turned around. “Come along boys.”

Draco stayed behind, looking at Potter. He wanted to set the record straight and tell Potter what had really happened. If they were going to work together to catch this bastard, he didn’t need Potter having any doubts about his innocence. “Greg found the body and he woke me up because he didn’t know what to do. I was the one who suggested we ignore it.”

“Why?” Harry asked. His mouth felt like cotton at the thought of Malfoy admitting something to him.

“Because I wanted to avoid _this_. Greg hasn’t been the same since Vincent…” Draco trailed off, glancing at the floor. “He wouldn’t be able to handle the confrontation and the questioning.”

“You _do_ care about your friends, Malfoy,” Harry murmured, surprised. Here he was thinking that Draco Malfoy was a rich bastard who only cared about himself.

“Believe it or not, Potter, but I do have a heart,” Draco snapped.

Harry grinned, “How very Gryffindor of you.”

Draco shuddered, “Please do not ever say that to me ever again.”

Harry laughed, “So I’ll see you later?”

“That’s what Pansy said, didn’t she?” Draco turned on his heel. “See you then, Potter.”

Harry watched him leave, his heart feeling lighter than it had when he first approached him. He was beginning to see another side of Malfoy, one he didn’t think existed.

The day went by slowly and Harry was shocked to find that he wanted it to go by quicker so he could go to the library after dinner. Not to see Malfoy or anything. Just to do some investigating. When dinner rolled around, he glanced across the Great Hall to see Malfoy staring at him. Of course once Harry locked eyes with him, the prat turned away quickly and continued to talk to his friends.

“We won’t be able to make it to the library, Harry,” Hermione informed her friend. “Ron hasn’t finished his charms essay that is due tomorrow so I’m helping him finish it.”

“Forcing me is more like it,” Ron muttered, the tips of his ears going red. He loved Hermione to pieces but sometimes, when it came to schoolwork, she acted like his mum.

Harry chuckled, “Yeah, but I’m sure she’ll reward you afterward.” His comment caused his two best friends to turn bright red and splutter. Harry didn’t like thinking about their sex life but he enjoyed teasing them every once and a while.

“I could come with you,” Neville spoke up. He didn’t necessarily want to spend the rest of his night with Malfoy, but he figured if Harry needed him to, he would.

Harry shook his head, “Nah, mate, I’ll be fine. I can handle a couple Slytherins. Besides, you and Malfoy? That wouldn’t end very well.” He laughed at the thought. They’d probably be at each other’s’ necks the whole night. Neville had changed since the war, becoming surer of himself. He wouldn’t let Malfoy get away with stupid comments, not without a fight. And Harry needed everyone focused on the problem at hand. Like he said, Harry could handle a couple of  Slytherins.

* * *

 

Harry couldn’t handle a couple of Slytherins. Goyle had snuck food into the library (Zabini told Harry that Goyle was a stress eater), Zabini seemed content to contradict everything Harry said rather than actually helping, Parkinson still seemed awkward around him because of the whole wanting to hand him over to the Dark Lord thing (which was silly considering he quite literally handed himself over to the Dark Lord), and Malfoy barely said a word, preferring to keep his eyes on some book that Harry didn’t recognize.

“Okay, Malfoy, what is up with the book?” Harry asked. He looked at the title which read American Psycho.

Draco looked up, a bit irritated that Potter interrupted his reading. He didn’t stay annoyed for too long as Draco reminded himself that they were there for a reason. “All the talk of horror…” Draco floundered for the word before remembering what they had called it. “Horror movies made me think of horror novels. So I found this one. It’s a muggle book but it’s very intriguing.”

Harry raised an eyebrow, “What does that have to do with our killer?”

“Well, I don’t quite believe that people don’t have motive. So I decided to do my own research and see if I can find an example,” Draco explained before sighing at the confused look on Potter’s face. “Maybe I can figure out the killer’s motive.”

“Maybe we should focus less on the motive and more on figuring out the victims are connected,” Blaise suggested. He pulled out a picture of a young blonde girl laughing at the camera. “The first victim was Marietta Jorkins. She was a third year Ravenclaw. Very sweet girl. I’ve spoken to her sister once or twice a few years ago. I can’t imagine anyone wanting either of the Jorkins dead.” He slid another photograph on the table. This one was of a boy who was smiling softly at a girl who was focused on something else. It was obvious that he was very much in love with her. “Second victim, Lee Whitby. A fifth year Gryffindor. He was a prefect and was in a relationship with a Ravenclaw. His brother told me that he had many friends.”

“But he was a Gryffindor so he probably had plenty of enemies,” Draco said, smirking at Potter. He added this just to get under Potter’s skin. It was so easy to do and fun to see the raven-haired boy get angry. Not that Draco would ever admit it.”

“Actually,” Zabini said, intervening before Potter could retort and start a fight. “I asked around. He was a pretty popular person and one of those decent popular blokes. Not the ones who enjoy picking fights with everyone they see.”

“Hmm, wonder who that reminds me of,” Harry said, eyeing Malfoy who flipped him off.

They were interrupted by Blaise sliding another picture across the table. This one seemed more personal as it was of him holding a shorter girl in his arms. They were looking up at the stars, laughing at something, and just enjoying each other’s company.

Draco felt his chest constrict. Blaise looked so happy in the picture, happier than Draco had seen him in months. It made him sick that someone could just take that away from him without giving it a second thought.

“Bella Abberly,” Blaise said. He felt himself choke up but he refused to cry. He would not let himself cry until this sicko was in Azkaban, or dead. “Seventh year. Hufflepuff. She was an only child. She was dating a Slytherin.” He left it at that and pulled out a final picture. Justin Finch-Fletchley stared at the camera, making them all flinch. “And we all know who this was.”

“We were playing truth or dare with him just a few hours before…” Pansy trailed off, looking down at her lap.

“He dared me to give Lovegood a piggyback ride,” Goyle murmured, nodding to himself. “He was cool.”

Blaise looked at them, “I think we all know what they _did_ have in common, though.”

They stayed quiet for a few minutes before Draco broke the silence, “I think it might be a Slytherin.” They all looked at him. “Our house is the most likely to have prejudiced people stuck in their ways. And that seems to be what this is. Crimes committed out of dislike for blood status.”

Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair, “I thought killing Voldemort would end all of that.”

“It did mostly,” Zabini told him. “But there will always be a few extremists. I’m surprised no one saw this coming.”

“How are we supposed to find the killer?” Harry asked, frowning.

“We don’t,” Malfoy said. “Not yet, at least. Instead, we focus on making sure no one else dies. And since we have a broad idea of targets, we have a better chance at protecting them.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little party never killed nobody, so we gon’ dance until we drop  
> A little party never killed nobody, right here, right now’s all we got
> 
> \- "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody" by Fergie

“I can’t believe Halloween is almost here,” Ginny murmured to Neville as they walked into potions.

“It feels like it should be December,” Neville said. “There’s been too much going on.”

Luna skipped over to the two Gryffindors, “I heard that McGonagall is going to let us have a Halloween ball.” She had a dreamy smile on her face, as usual, but she seemed more excited.

Ginny frowned, “Does she really think that’s a good idea? What with all the murders going on?”

“Well, she is announcing something at dinner,” Luna said. “So, I guess we’ll see.”

Sure enough, McGonagall was announcing an upcoming Halloween ball. Harry and his friends looked at each other, not entirely sure that a ball was what they needed at the moment. But, perhaps McGonagall knew what she was doing.

At the Slytherin table, Pansy was beaming, “A ball. I can’t wait! I have to pick out an outfit and- oh!” She turned to Draco. “Draco, will you be my date?”

Draco raised an eyebrow, “Pansy, you know how I feel-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Pansy waved her hand. “I know, you’re gayer than a daffodil. I just thought we could recreate our time at the Yule Ball. It was fun albeit a little awkward. Oh, come on, Draco! Don’t give me that look!”

“You do realize that you have two other guy friends who are sitting right beside you,” Draco deadpanned. “Why am I always your go to date?”

“Well, Blaise is still heartbroken-”

“I’m fine,” Blaise cut in, exasperated but Pansy ignored him.

“And Greg obviously has a thing for Millicent Bulstrode,” Pansy continued.

Greg looked up from his turkey leg, “I do not!” Pansy glanced at him and he went back to eat his turkey leg.

“If we’re going,” Draco said, causing Pansy to perk up, “we’re all going together or not at all.”

Blaise nodded, “Draco’s right. With a serial killer in the school, we’re better safe than sorry.”

* * *

 

“Can you believe McGonagall is letting us have a Halloween party?” Harry asked Draco as they walked up and down the shelves in the library. This time Hermione and Ron had joined them for research. Harry had gotten up to look for more books that might have been of use and Draco decided to join him.

“I suppose you’re taking the Weaslette?” Draco muttered. He didn’t know why he even bothered to ask. It wasn’t as if Potter and he were friends. But he supposed it was better than looking for books in total silence.

Harry frowned, “Weasl- you mean Ginny?”

“Right,” Draco said, distracted. “Ginny…” The name felt weird in his mouth. He’d rather stick to calling her the Weaslette.

“Probably not,” Harry shrugged.

Draco stopped to look at him, “Why not? Aren’t you two dating?”

Harry looked at him, weirdly, “Why do you care?”

Draco quickly looked away, going back to looking at books, “Just trying to make conversation is all.”

“We broke up and never really got back together,” Harry said, nonchalantly. He and Ginny had made their peace and they were still friends, if not closer. “She’s not really my type.”

Draco snorted, “What? Ginger?” He couldn’t really see any of the Weasleys being anyone’s type.

“No, female.”

Draco stopped in his tracks as Potter continued walking. Did Harry Potter just tell him he was gay?

Harry turned back to look at him, “You coming, or what?”

Draco nodded, dazed, “Yeah, I’m coming.”

Hermione was talking to Pansy at the table the group was occupying, “I think we should all stick together at the dance. That way if something does happen, we’re together.” She looked up. “Did you two find the books?” She frowned. “Draco, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, why?” Draco asked, his voice faint.

“Well, for starters, you look like you’re about to pass out, darling,” Pansy said.

Draco shook his head as he sat down, “No, I’m fine.”

“Good,” Pansy said. “We were just discussing the dance.”

Draco could feel his face burn as he thought back to his and Potter’s conversation. He just couldn’t figure out why Potter would tell him, of all people. Wasn’t he worried Draco might blab it to the entire school? Did he trust Draco? That thought made him want to smile and puke.

“Let’s just get back to what we were doing,” Draco said once he recovered.

* * *

Draco looked Pansy up and down, “Okay, what are you supposed to be?” She had on a short dress with what looked like stitches on it. It also had a picture of a heart with several pins sticking out of it on the chest. The dress itself was tan, with gray marks all over that made it appear dirty, and had red tulle sticking out from the bottom. She wore leggings that were too ripped up to even be considered leggings and four-inch solid black heels. Her hair was teased and looked messier than Potter’s, a feat he didn’t even know was achievable. Her makeup was simple, dark around the eyes, and what looked like it was supposed to be stitches on her lips. She looked great but Draco had no idea what she was supposed to be.

“I’m a voodoo doll,” Pansy said. Really? She thought it was easy to tell. She shook her head. “Why are you just wearing your school robes? Let me guess. You’re a wizard!”

Draco gave her a look, “Really? I’m obviously a Ravenclaw. See, I charmed my tie blue.” _He_ thought it was pretty clever. It was just enough that he didn’t have to try too hard but he couldn’t be accused of doing nothing.

“I vant to suck your blood!” a voice said from behind them. They turned around to see Blaise in a tacky cape and fangs with fake blood dripping down his mouth. “Get it. I’m Dracula.”

“You’re a sad excuse for a Dracula,” Pansy sighed. “I suppose we should get going. Where’s Greg?”

“He wasn’t up there when we were getting ready,” Draco said. “We figured he was down here with you.”

“Maybe he’s getting ready with _Millicent_ ,” Pansy grinned. “Let’s go. I’m excited to see what Potter and Company looks like.”

They met up with the Gryffindors right outside the Great Hall. Granger was in a yellow short sleeved ballgown. Her usual bushy hair was tamed just like it was during the Yule Ball except this time it was mostly down. Draco had to admit she looked beautiful. He glanced at Weasley who appeared to be some sort of prince? Draco was unsure.

“I’m Belle from Beauty and the Beast,” Granger was explaining to Pansy. “It’s a Muggle film about a girl who becomes prisoner in this enchanted castle that belongs to this prince who was turned into a beast…”

“That’s me,” Weasley cut in, grinning.

Draco drowned them out and looked around for Potter. He didn’t know why but he was excited to see what he had come up with for a costume. Blaise looked at Draco knowingly but Draco just sneered at him and continued with his searching.

“Hi guys,” a dreamy voice said. Draco looked over to see Loony Lovegood wearing a short golden dress with tiny wings attached her the back where her shoulders were. “I’m a Snitch. There was another part to the costume but it got destroyed.”

The Weaslette walked up behind her, “I told you, Luna, it was an accident.” She caught Draco’s eye and shook her head, causing Draco to stifle a laugh. He then took in her appearance.

“Gin, why are you dressed in your Quidditch gear?” Ron asked. “It’s a costume ball.”

“This _is_ my costume, Ron,” Ginny huffed.

“A Quidditch player?” he frowned. “Very original.”

Ginny looked at him, “No, I’m dressed up as you!”

This made Ron turn bright red and Draco went back to looking for Potter. The next person to arrive wasn’t Harry. It was Neville who was clearly dressed up as Dumbledore. Draco shifted a bit uncomfortably.

“I regret this already,” Neville muttered. “This beard is itchy and uncomfortable.”

And then Draco spotted him. Harry Potter. His usually short hair was about to his shoulders and was straight rather than messy and curly. Draco’s mouth went dry as he stared at his hair.

“Are you…” Pansy trailed off, trying not to laugh.

“Professor Snape?” Potter finished the thought for her. “Yes, I am.”

Draco had to admit that Potter looked good but he felt nauseous when he realized he was dressed as Snape. Did this mean he found Snape attractive? He almost gagged at the thought. Wait, did he just admit he found Potter attractive? Draco’s head hurt and he hadn’t even been inside the Great Hall.

“Well what are we waiting for?” Granger asked. “Come on!”

They all walked inside and gaped at the room. The room was dark except for some floating candles flying around the room. There was a big dance floor with some tables scattered around it. Spider webs covered the walls, Draco wasn’t sure if they were real or fake, and fog swirled around the room. He was pretty impressed and judging by the others’ expressions, they were, too.

“Well, let’s have some fun, shall we?” Harry grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had a hard time picking Halloween costumes but here's the basic idea of them if you need a visual
> 
> Draco: Just Ravenclaw robes because he's a little shit who doesn't want to dress up  
> Blaise: just look up Dracula  
> Pansy: if you look up voodoo doll women's costume, it was the first one on google images for me  
> Hermione: come on, it's Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast  
> Ron: and it's the Beast from Beauty and the Beast except after he's changed back from being a beast  
> Ginny: just some Quidditch gear  
> Luna: if you look up Golden Snitch costume, you'll get the gist of it  
> Neville: he's fricking Dumbledore  
> Harry: I literally looked up Dan Radcliffe Frankenstein and you will see him with some long hair looking like Snape and that's costume


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say a prayer for the youth of America  
> God bless the youth America  
> I can't stand their sight anymore  
> All the dead kids lying on your door  
> And you don't hear a word they're tellin' ya  
> You're all dead. You're all dead You've been wasted
> 
> \- "Youth of America" by Birdbrain

Harry was having the time of his life. He and Hermione were dancing to a slow song together, talking about how far they’d come and how they couldn’t believe this was their last year at Hogwarts.

“I’m glad you decided to come back for your final year, Harry,” Hermione said as they swayed to the music.

“Well, I didn’t have much of a choice,” Harry teased, spinning her around. He had gotten better at dancing since fourth year but not by much. He was just glad he wasn’t stepping on her feet. “You would’ve killed me if I hadn’t.”

Hermione gave him a look, “Can we not joke about killing right now, Harry?”

Harry licked his lips nervously when he realized how serious she looked, “You’re scared, aren’t you?”

“I know I shrugged it off when Neville first brought it up, but what if he was right? What if I’m next?” she whispered. “It’s been a few weeks since the last murder and while some may see that as a relief, I just know whoever it is doing this is planning something big.”

“Hey,” Harry murmured. “We are going to keep you safe, okay, ‘Mione?” When she didn’t reply, he tilted her head up. “Do you trust me?” She nodded. “Good. Now don’t worry about it anymore, and just enjoy the rest of the dance.”

Ron cleared his throat, “Mind if I cut in?”

Harry grinned at his best friend, “Of course, mate. I am going to go see if I can convince Malfoy to get on the dance floor.”

“You’ve got it bad, mate!” Ron called after him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Harry threw over his shoulder.

Ron shook his head, chuckling, “He does know that I really don’t care if he’s got the hots for Malfoy, right? Before, maybe. But now? As long as Harry’s happy…”

“I don’t think Harry realizes he’s got it bad for Draco,” Hermione mused.

Pansy stopped Harry on his way over to Malfoy, “Oh no, you don’t. You’re going to dance with me first, oh Chosen One.”

Harry sighed, rolling his eyes, “Of course.” He pulled her on to the dance floor. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Who says I wanted to talk about anything?” Pansy feigned innocence. “I just wanted a dance with the Savior of the Wizarding World.” Harry gave her a look and her façade crumbled. “You like Draco.”

“What? No, I don’t,” Harry said, laughing. “He’s a right git who annoys me every chance he gets.”

“And for some reason you get off on that,” Pansy said. “Don’t you dare try to deny it. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

Harry rolled his eyes, “I may not hate Malfoy anymore, but don’t go thinking that I fancy the bloke.”

Pansy pulled away, wiping invisible pieces of lint off her dress, “Denial’s not just a river in Egypt, Potter.” She patted his chest. “But whatever you say.” She went off to get her something to drink.

Harry watched her walk away before his eyes fell on Malfoy. He was sitting at a table all alone, watching the couples dance. He seemed almost lonely. Deciding to focus on his and Pansy’s conversation later, Harry walked over to him.

As Pansy approached the refreshments table, she bumped into a man wearing a fancy cloak and a white mask that covered his entire face. She smiled as she grabbed a glass.

“Nice mask,” she said. The man just nodded, looking at her. “I like your costume. It’s simple but scary. Very effective.” The man didn’t say anything. She began to feel uneasy but she shook it off. “Are you going to say something or are you just going to stand there?” The man shook his head slowly. “Okay, I’m going to go back to where I came from and you can continue to stand here, being creepy.” The man slowly placed a finger to his mouth as if telling her to keep quiet. She sighed. “Okayyyy…” She walked off.

Draco looked up to see Potter standing in front of him, “Get tired of dancing with Pansy, did you? Did she get a little too handsy?”

Potter ignored his question, “Have you danced at all tonight, Malfoy?”

“Does it look like I have a date?” Malfoy retorted.

“You don’t have to have a date to have fun,” Potter laughed. “I’m doing just fine.”

“I never said I wasn’t having fun,” Malfoy said, haughtily.

“Well, are you?”

“Am I what?”

Potter gave him an exasperated look, “Having fun.”

Draco hesitated before sighing, “No.”

“Well that’s settled then.”

“What’s settled?”

“You’re going to dance with me.”

Draco raised an eyebrow, “No.”

“Okay, let me rephrase that. Malfoy, get off your snobby little arse and come dance with me.”

Draco leaned back in his chair, smirking, “Interesting tactic, Potter, but I’m going to stick with no.”

“It’s just one dance, Malfoy. What could you lose?”

“My dignity.”

“Pretty sure you lost that during the war.”

Draco scoffed, “If this is your way to try and get me to dance with you, you’re doing a very poor job.” Potter got a smug look on his face and he grabbed Draco’s hands, pulling him out of the chair. “Potter. Potter, what are you doing?” He practically dragged Draco out on to the dance floor.

“The song is almost over,” Potter said, wrapping his arms around Draco’s waist. “You only have to suffer for a little bit.”

Draco sighed, giving in, and began to sway to the music. He looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but there. Potter pulled him closer, so their chests were touching. Draco looked up, startled, but Harry just laughed at the look on his face. Just as Draco was starting to relax, and enjoy himself although he would never admit this out loud, the song ended and Potter pulled away from him. Draco almost whimpered at the loss of contact.

“That wasn’t too bad, now was it?” Potter asked, obviously amused.

Draco sniffed, “I suppose not.”

“If I could have everyone’s attention,” McGonagall called from the stage. “It is now time to vote for the Hogwarts King and Queen.” Draco frowned. The what? “There are slips of paper on every table. Everyone needs to write down a name for both king and queen.”

Draco watched as everyone headed to the tables. He felt someone grab his hand and he looked over to see Potter smiling at him as he led him over to their table. Quickly, Draco grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down Blaise and Pansy’s name on it.

Pansy made her way through the crowd over to Draco, “Have you seen Greg anywhere?”

Draco looked down at her, “I thought he was with Millicent.”

“I found her a couple minutes ago and she said she hasn’t seen him all night. She seemed pretty irritated that he stood her up,” Pansy said, starting to get worried.

“Ron said he saw him in the kitchens a half an hour before we all met up. He figured he was just getting some snacks before he got ready,” Potter said, glancing at the two Slytherins.

Blaise approached them, “Theo hasn’t seen him either.”

Draco sighed, “Maybe he skipped. He didn’t seem all that keen on going.”

“He would have told us, though,” Blaise murmured.

“Maybe he lost track of time down in the kitchens,” Potter suggested. “And when he found out what time it was, he decided to skive off the rest of the dance.”

“The results are in!” McGonagall called. “Hogwarts king and queen are…” She opened a piece of paper and hesitated, creating a dramatic silence. “Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger!”

Draco stood there in shock. He was Hogwarts king? That didn’t sound right. He thought it would be Potter or maybe Longbottom, or the Weasel perhaps. They were all war heroes. But an ex-Death Eater? Something seemed off.

“Go up there!” Pansy said. “She called your name, Draco!”

He glanced at Potter who was smiling at him. A real smile that made Draco’s knees go weak. He’d never had that kind of smile directed at him. Dazed, Draco found himself walking up on stage, standing before everyone. He felt nervous but he didn’t understand why. All he could see was that smile Potter gave him. He felt something being placed on his head, a crown maybe? And surprisingly enough, everyone was cheering and clapping. They were probably clapping for Granger. Definitely not for him. Who would clap for him besides his friends and Potter with that dazzling smile?

Draco stood there, scanning the crowd for Pansy and Blaise when suddenly he felt something wet hit his shoulder. That was all the warning he got before what seemed like gallons of blood fell from above, splattering all over him and his robes. He looked up just in time to see a body fall down, hitting the stage with a loud _thump!_ Draco looked down to see the lifeless body of his friend, Gregory Goyle staring up at him, unblinking.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Show me your love, your love  
> Gimme more but it's not enough  
> Show me your love, your love  
> Before the world catches up  
> 'Cause there's always time for second guesses, I don't wanna know  
> If you're gonna be the death of me, that's how I wanna go
> 
> \- "Collar Full" by Panic! At the Disco

Draco stood there while the aurors examined the scene. He felt numb and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. McGonagall had put the school on lockdown and everyone was to go to the commons rooms and stay there. Except for Draco. Draco was supposed to stay there and answer questions when all he wanted to do was take a shower and cry. Draco Malfoy wanted to _cry_.

“Mister Potter can you escort Mister Malfoy to the hospital wing?” Draco heard McGonagall ask. He didn’t even know Potter was still there. “Madame Pomfrey has some potions for him to take before bed to help with the shock.”

Harry nodded before gently grabbed Draco’s arm. He didn’t put up a fight and Harry figured it was because of the shock. He silently led Draco to the hospital wing where Pomfrey ushered them in. Draco took a seat on a bed and Pomfrey brought over some potions. Harry turned around and glanced out the door. The killer was still out there and his pattern had changed. Why had his pattern changed? Did that mean anyone was a target?

“You may take a shower now, Mister Malfoy,” Pomfrey said. Her tone was soft, looking at the boy with concern and pity. Draco hated it.

Wordlessly, Draco made his way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He looked at himself in the mirror, grimacing at his appearance. His blonde hair was stained with red and so was his skin. Stained with Greg’s blood, he reminded himself. Greg was dead. He should have looked for him before they left for the dance. They should have been more worried. What kind of friends were they?

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Draco removed his robes, dropping them haphazardly in a pile on the floor. He felt like he would puke if he didn’t get these clothes off his body. He quickly pulled the rest of his outfit off and turned on the shower, making sure it was scorching hot. Anything to get this blood and the guilt off. Once he was satisfied with the temperature, he stepped inside. He scrubbed the body from his hair and his body and by the time he was finished, his body was a light pink. But he was clean.

Pomfrey had gone to check with McGonagall but Potter was still in the room when Draco exited the bathroom. There had been new clothes on the sink for him to wear to bed and he had gratefully put them on.

“Pomfrey said you should stay in here for the night,” Potter told him and Draco was too tired to put up a fight. Harry watched as Draco got into a bed. “Well, I guess I should be going.”

“Please don’t leave,” Draco murmured. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was scared to be alone. What if he had a nightmare and no one was there to wake him up? Usually Blaise woke him up and they talked until they both fell asleep again. Draco was so used to it, he wasn’t sure if he could cope by himself. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Harry was a bit shocked at Draco’s admission but he nodded, “Okay, I’ll stay.” Silently, Harry got into the bed right beside Draco’s.

They stayed quiet for a bit and Harry was sure Draco had fallen asleep when he heard his voice. “What if Greg is dead because of me?”

Harry frowned, turning over to face him, surprised that Draco was already facing him, “What do you mean?”

“We knew he was missing,” Draco said. “But we figured he was with Millie or something. I knew something was wrong but I ignored it.”

“You couldn’t have predicted this, Draco,” Harry murmured.

Draco blinked, “You just called me Draco.”

“Well it is your name, isn’t it?” Harry laughed, trying to ease the tension even though he could feel his heart picking up.

“Yeah, but you never called me it before,” Draco said. “Always Malfoy or prat or git. Anything but Draco.”

“Well, I figured that we’ve been through so much together, we might as well call each other by our first names,” Harry said, starting to feel a little silly. “If it makes you uncomfortable-”

“Harry,” Draco mumbled, seeing how the name felt in his mouth. It didn’t feel as weird as he thought it would. Instead it was almost…nice? “Not too bad.”

Harry found himself smiling, not really knowing why. He cleared his throat, “You should get some sleep.”

Draco nodded and turned over, forcing his eyes closed even though he knew he would just see visions of Greg’s dead body looking up at him. Eventually he felt his breathing even and he fell into a deep sleep.

Harry woke up to the sound of someone gasping and yelling for help. He sat up in bed and saw Draco tossing and turning. He knew that the man was having a nightmare and he wasn’t sure what he should do.

Quietly, Harry got out of his bed and climbed into Draco’s. He gently shook the blonde awake, “Draco, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”

Draco opened his eyes and turned over, burying his face in Harry’s chest. It still hadn’t registered where he was or who he was hugging, but he felt safe and he began drifting off to sleep once more.

Harry’s eyes widened when Draco embraced him but he forced himself to calm down. He soon felt himself falling asleep as well with Draco in his arms.

* * *

Hermione knew she was out past curfew but with that latest stunt the killer pulled, she had a theory that she needed to check out. She was in the muggle section, looking for a specific book. She had seen the movie a long time ago with her parents and she knew it was based off a book, but she never got around to reading it.

Finally spotting the book she needed, Hermione grabbed Carrie from the bookshelves. She knew the scene from the dance looked familiar. It was practically the prom scene from Carrie with the pig’s blood except with a real body. Gregory Goyle’s body. Hermione wanted to throw up, thinking of Goyle and his lifeless eyes. She couldn’t imagine Draco’s horror.

Shaking the thought from her head, Hermione set the book down on the table. If the killer had inspiration from Carrie, maybe that wasn’t the only horror movie he got inspiration from. Hermione wanted to kick herself for not watching more horror movies with her parents. Who would’ve thought that it would have come in handy now?

Hermione heard a door slam and she got up quickly, stuffing the book in her robes. She heard footsteps behind her and she grabbed the chair she was just sitting in. It was heavy, made of wood, but she was determined. She picked it up and whirled around, slamming it into stranger’s side. They crumpled to the ground and Hermione took a second to take in their appearance. They were wearing black cloak and a white mask that gave her chills just looking at. Then she realized something. She had seen that mask before. It was at the Halloween ball. They were hiding in plain sight!

Hermione grabbed her wand and threw a stunning spell their way but they rolled out of the way, avoiding it easily. Hermione let out a frustrated noise before taking off running, heading towards the door. She tried to hit her attacker with several spells but instead they hit the bookcases. She heard crashes behind her and she looked to see several of the bookcases falling down. She frowned, upset that she was destroying her favorite place but she pushed that thought aside as she decided she would rather destroy the library than die.

She was suddenly tackled and her wand was thrown from her hand, landing somewhere among the rubble. She felt a hand wrap around her neck as they hauled her to her feet and pinned her against a wall. Not wanting to give up just yet, Hermione reached out and touched their mask. It was smooth and cold against her fingertips. She ripped it from their face and gasped when she saw who it was.

Before she had a chance to speak, a knife was sliding against her throat and she cried out in pain as she felt blood trickle down her neck. Her hands flew to the cut as she sank down to her knees. Her side hit the ground and the killer took this time to kick her in the stomach. Hermione tried not to flinch.

The killer leaned down and grabbed their mask, putting it back on their face before kicking Hermione one more time. Once they were satisfied that she was dead, they stalked away.

Hermione could feel the life draining out of her but she was determined to tell the boys who was behind it all. She slowly got to her feet, her hand pressed tightly against her wound, trying to put pressure on it. It was bleeding too much for the pressure to stop it, but it helped a bit.

Hermione staggered out of the library, her hand gripping the wall for balance. The blood on her hand left a trail as she dragged it along the walls, and the blood dripping down her throat hit the floor. Several times she fell to the floor but she managed to get up, coughing up blood and spitting it out. She just wanted to lay down and sleep but she pushed forward.

She saw McGonagall’s office up ahead and she licked her lips, wincing at the metallic taste in her mouth. The chances that McGonagall would even be in there were slim but not nonexistent. So Hermione took the chance. As she got closer, she fell once more but this time she did not have enough strength to get back up. Crawling rather pathetically, Hermione made her way to McGonagall’s door, pounding on it and yelling.

“Help!” she rasped, her hands banging on the door. “Somebody help me!”

The last thing Hermione saw before she passed out was McGonagall’s shocked face.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But now we're sleeping at the edge  
> Holding something we don't need  
> All this delusion in our heads  
> Is gonna bring us to our knees  
> So come on let it go  
> Just let it be  
> Why don't you be you  
> And I'll be me  
> Everything's that's broke  
> Leave it to the breeze  
> Why don't you be you  
> And I'll be me  
> And I'll be me
> 
> \- "Let It Go" by James Bay

Harry woke up to someone rushing into the infirmary. Blinking, he looked down at the weight against his side and all the memories of last night rushed back. He quickly grabbed his glasses from the table beside the bed and put them on. Only once he did, he wished he hadn’t. Laying on a bed, unconscious was Hermione, covered in blood. He looked at McGonagall who he assumed had brought her in. She had a guilty look on her face.

“Professor?” Harry whispered, not wanting to wake Draco up. “What happened?”

McGonagall pursed her lips, trying to decide whether or not to tell him what had happened. And then memories of second year when Miss Granger was petrified came back to her and her resolve broke. “Miss Granger arrived at my office covered in blood and on the verge of death. Her throat appeared to be slit by what seemed like a knife. I stabilized her the best I could and brought her here for further treatment.”

“I’m afraid that there’s nothing more I can do,” Pomfrey said, when she finished examining Hermione. “She will have to be taken to St. Mungo’s.”

Harry felt his heart stop and he swallowed thickly, “Can I go and get Ron? He’d want to see her before she leaves.”

McGonagall hesitated before nodding, “Please be quick, Mister Potter.”

“Yes, Professor,” Harry jumped out of bed and was about to head out the door when he heard someone murmur his name. He turned around to see Draco sitting up, looking confused.

Draco felt panic set in when he didn’t feel Harry right next to him. Did something happen to him? Was he dead?

Harry went back to Draco and touched his hand, “I’ll be right back, Draco. Just stay here. You’re safe.”

Draco’s eyes slid over to a figure laying on a bed and his eyes widened, “Merlin, what happened to Granger?”

“I’ll explain later but right now I have to go get Ron so he can see her before they take her to St. Mungo’s,” Harry said. At Draco’s understanding nod, he took off for the Gryffindor tower.

Draco looked at McGonagall, “Is she going to be okay?”

McGonagall stared at him for a second, shocked that he was worried about someone he had hated for so many years. Maybe he has grown up. “She should be fine once we get her some treatment.”

Harry and Ron burst back into the room. Ron’s eyes searched frantically for his girlfriend. When he saw her, he ran over to her side.

“What happened?” he asked, feeling tears pool in his eyes.

McGonagall told him the same thing she told Harry, “We need to get her to St. Mungo’s but Mister Potter said you would probably want to see her first.”

Ron nodded, “Thanks, mate.” He wiped his eyes quickly, not wanting anyone to see him crying. He was about to get up when he saw something sticking slightly out of her robes. Frowning, he took it out and saw it was a book.

“What’s that?” Harry asked, leaning forward. “Carrie?”

Ron opened it to the page that Hermione had bookmarked, his eyes scanning the words, “Bloody hell.”

“What is it, Ron?” Harry reached out for the book. Ron let him take it and Harry let his own eyes take in the words. “Professor, this book sounds exactly like what happened this evening at the dance.” He handed it to McGonagall.

“Could the killer have based it off that?” Draco spoke up. Everyone jumped when he spoke, forgetting that he was there.

“It’s possible,” McGonagall murmured. “You boys should go back to sleep.” She left with the book in her hand.

* * *

Harry and Draco were taking a walk outside as classes were canceled until further notice. They had been talking about the murders and telling each other their theories. It was the longest they had gone without hexing one another or even insulting the other.

“I think the killer is trying to blame you for the murders,” Harry spoke up, causing Draco to look at him. “I mean, think about it. All the victims were muggleborns. That doesn’t look good for the ex-Death Eaters who came back.”

“Then why kill Greg?” Draco asked, stopping and turning to face Harry. “That doesn’t make any sense.” But in the back of his mind, he had a feeling that maybe Harry was on to something.

“Maybe they got irritated that it wasn’t working. Or maybe Goyle got in the way.” Harry frowned. “Either way, you’re in trouble.”

“Why do you care?” Draco murmured. His voice was too soft for his own liking.

“Because believe it or not, I care about you Draco,” Harry snapped, feeling his cheeks burn. “I don’t know what’s changed but you’re important to me.”

Draco was shocked at this confession but he didn’t want to let it get to him. He smirked, trying to act cool and collected when in reality he wanted to shake Harry by the shoulders and demand what he meant. “Sounds like you have a little crush on me, Potter.”

“Pansy was the one who brought it up. At the dance. She said that I liked you,” Harry admitted. “I thought she was mental, and then that night, in the infirmary… You had just woken up from a nightmare and seeing you screaming in your sleep. Well something in me wanted to protect you.” He couldn’t believe he was admitting this out loud, much less to Draco. But if this maniac was after the Slytherins like he thought, who knew how long they had together?

Draco felt his mouth go dry but he spoke anyway, “That’s just your damn hero complex, Potter. You want to save anyone who is in trouble.”

“Maybe. But I don’t think that’s it.” Harry swallowed thickly. “You’ve changed.”

“I’m the same person I’ve always been,” Draco said, stiffly.

“No you’re not.” He felt exasperated. Why was Draco making this so hard? “Everything is different now. You feel it. I know you do. I knew it from the minute you called me Harry last night.”

“I was vulnerable,” Draco said, harshly. “I wouldn’t want you. I’d never want you. I hate you.”

“You were the one who said we weren’t enemies anymore.”

“Well I lied. You’re my enemy! And you always will be!” By now Draco was practically screaming and he was glad no one was walking by them at that moment.

“Why won’t you just admit that there is something between us? That there’s always been something between us?” Harry was trying to keep his voice down, but his temper was flaring and he just wanted Draco to get it through his thick skull that-

“Because I want to love you but I don’t know how!” Draco’s chest was heaving as he tried to replace the air that had left his lungs when he made his confession. He saw Harry staring at him, his mouth ajar and his eyes wide. Draco would’ve told him he looked like an idiot if he wasn’t shaking too hard. “When you refused my hand back in first year, I was devastated. And so I took those feelings and turned them into hate and I hated you with every fiber of my being.”

“You never hated me,” Harry said. “You just wanted my attention.”

“Could you blame me?” he snapped.

“You came up with all those stupid pranks and plots and insults just so I would notice you,” Harry continued, realization dawning on him. “You wanted to be a part of my life. And you were.”

“Not in the way I wanted to,” Draco muttered. He couldn’t be there anymore. He couldn’t look at Harry’s face for another second. He turned around and walked away.

And Harry watched him leave.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one misstep, you're mine  
> And you better stay clever if you wanna survive  
> Once you cross the line  
> You'll be wishing you would listen when you meet your demise
> 
> \- "Monsters" by Ruelle

Draco spent the rest of the day in the Slytherin common room with Pansy and Blaise. They were talking about Greg and trying to honor him by telling stories. But Draco could only take so much of that so he decided to retire to his bed early.

He took off his robe, which Harry had brought him after the Halloween ball, but he didn’t want to think about Harry so he shoved that thought out of his mind. Instead his attention drifted to a weird noise. It sounded like someone crumpling parchment. He pulled something out of his robe pocket and looked at it. It was the letter he had received the day he found the first body.

Quickly unfolding it, he read what the message said. “ _I’m going to make you wish you never came back to Hogwarts._ ” Draco shivered at the message. The words were as creepy as they were when he first read it. But now they were beginning to make sense. This could have been a random threat but it seemed like too convenient. What were the chances of Draco finding a dead body minutes after he received this letter? No, it had to be from the killer.

If he could just compare the writing to something else, he could find out who has been behind all of this. But maybe he could. If he could sneak into a classroom, he could search through the homework and match up the handwriting.

Draco got into bed, holding the letter in his hand. He’d have to wait until everyone was asleep to make his move. He listened as people got into their beds and he listened closely for any snoring.

Once Draco was certain everyone was asleep, he quietly climbed out of bed and left the dorms. He left the common room and snuck to the Potions classroom. The door, however, was locked which Draco hadn’t really thought about. Of course, the classrooms would be locked.

Draco had to find out who was doing this though, so he decided to take the chance and check the other classrooms. He made his way to the Transfiguration classroom and was happy to find that the door was unlocked. He made his way inside and began to look through the essays that were on the desk.

He went through half of the stack before he found it. The handwriting was the same and Draco pulled it out of the pile to look at the name. He nearly dropped it when he realized he recognized it.

“I knew you’d figure it out.” Draco turned around to see Zacharias Smith smirking at him. “You always were smart.”

“You killed all those people?” Draco asked, feeling a little lightheaded. Things began to click into place. Smith was in Hufflepuff so he probably knew that Bella was sneaking out and he was at the party when Justin got killed and he was the one who got everyone to suspect Draco and Greg.

“Like you haven’t killed your fair share of people, Malfoy,” Smith sneered.

“It’s not the same,” Draco said, shakily.

“I was only doing it to get you and your little Death Eater friends out of Hogwarts. You had the nerve to waltz back in here like you owned the place. McGonagall didn’t even seem to care that you fought for the wrong side!”

“You didn’t even fight. You ran like a coward,” Draco snapped.

“I was scared.”

“So was I!”

Smith shook his head, “Don’t try and act like we’re the same, Malfoy. ‘Cause we’re not. I was doing my classmates a favor.”

“By killing them?” Draco heard his heart pounding in his ears. He looked down and realized that Zacharias was holding a knife in his hand. “Why did you do it the way you did, by the way? Why so hands on? You could’ve just used magic but no, you used your bare hands.”

Zacharias stepped forward, playing with the knife in his hand, “You want to know what I did when I ran away?”

Draco stepped back, feeling his back hit the desk, “Not really but I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway.”

Smith ignored him, “I rented a Muggle flat and lived there until McGonagall invited me back to Hogwarts. I discovered these things called movies. Do you know what a movie is, Malfoy?”

“I get the general idea,” Draco murmured. He discreetly checked his pockets and was disappointed to find that he had forgotten his wand in his hurry. What kind of wizard forgets his wand?

“Well, there are different genres, kind of like books. And the one genre I really had a thing for? Horror.”

“Psycho,” Draco said, thinking back to that conversation with Dean Thomas and Hermione about motive. “Okay, so you watched a lot of horror movies and it made you a killer.”

“Don’t go blaming the movies, Malfoy. Movies don’t create psychos, movies make psychos more creative.” Smith smirked. “Scream, 1996. Now, that was a good movie. In fact that movie was what started this whole idea.” He tapped the knife to his chin. “I thought, why use magic when I could make these deaths more interesting.”

“You based them off of horror movies,” Draco realized, feeling sick to his stomach. Where was Harry when you needed him?

“Bingo!” Zacharias grinned. His grin was so crazy, so feral, that it made Draco shudder. “So I found myself a mask, not the Ghostface mask from Scream. No, I didn’t want to steal that piece of art. That would be unlawful.”

“Yeah, _that_ would be unlawful,” Draco scoffed. Smith put the knife up to his neck and Draco winced as the blade drew some blood.

“I thought I would give you some movie trivia, Draco. Don’t be disrespectful.” He pulled the knife away and Draco let out a breath. “Marietta was sloppy work, I have to admit. I didn’t even get my knife back, but you have to agree that the knife sticking out of the back was a good addition. Really scared ya, didn’t it, Draco?” He laughed, coldly. “There are plenty of horror movies with good knife wielding villains but I was always a sucker for Halloween. Have ya seen Jamie Lee Curtis?” Zacharias whistled lowly. “What a babe.”

“The one of the most iconic horror movie scenes was from A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Zacharias continued. “I won’t bother getting into details, but the bathtub scene will always be my favorite. I couldn’t recreate it exactly but it was what I had in mind when Lee passed.” Draco wanted to make a sarcastic comment but he didn’t feel like getting his throat slashed tonight.

“You know, there’s a really good movie that was made in the 70s that not many people know of. It’s called Suspiria. I must say, it is underrated. And that hanging scene? Makes me shudder every time. Which is where Bella comes in. Of course, the fact that she was Blaise’s sweetheart made it even better. How did that make you feel? To find out that your best friend was dating a mudblood, behind your back? Did it make you angry? Or how about betrayed?”

“I was upset,” Draco seethed, “that Blaise didn’t get to have a happy ending with her. He loved her and you took her away from him. How does that make _you_ feel?” Smith growled and slashed Draco’s arm in anger. Draco gasped and grabbed the cut with his hand, making it sting even more.

“Don’t sass me, Malfoy!” Smith yelled in his face. “You’re not really in a position to sass anybody. I have the knife remember? And you don’t even have a wand. I bet you feel really helpless now.”

“I want to hear the rest of the story, Zacharias,” Draco said, his voice slightly shaking. “Your little stunt at the dance with Greg? Yeah, we know that was based off Carrie. Granger found the book.”

“Don’t even get me started with that little bitch,” Smith snapped. “I had a plan for her. And then she went and ruined it. So, I slit her throat and left her to die.”

“Well she’s not dead yet, Smith,” Draco said, still holding on to his bleeding arm. “You underestimate her. She’s a strong woman and it’s going to take a lot more than a knife to bring Hermione Granger down.”

Smith pulled out his wand, “Funny how you have respect for her now when all you did when you were a kid was call her names and insult her family.” He waved his wand and the candles in the room were lit.

Draco looked behind Smith to see Dennis Creevey tied to a chair with a gag in his mouth. Smith had obviously cast a silencing spell because Dennis was struggling and Draco couldn’t hear a thing.

“This final death is going to be inspired by Scream,” Zacharias said. “In the first scene, Casey Becker sees her boyfriend on her back porch tied up much like Dennis here. The killer decides to play a little game because she likes horror movies so much and if she gets one wrong.” He dragged a finger across his throat. “Her boyfriend goes bye-bye.” Draco’s heart sped up. “That’s obviously no fair to you, since you don’t know anything about scary movies.”

While Zacharias’ back was turned, Draco reached behind him and grabbed a paperweight off the desk and swung it at Smith’s head. It hit him and Smith went down. Draco took this time to run towards the door, determined to get help. He didn’t get very far when Zacharias wrapped his hand around Draco’s foot and Draco fell to the ground. Zacharias pulled him closer and stabbed him in the side with the knife.

Draco cried out in pain but he refused to let it stop him. He kicked Smith in the face, hearing a _crack!_ He had broken Smith’s nose which only seemed to make him angrier. He pulled out his wand and Draco knocked it out of his hand. It went flying and hit the door.

Draco got up and went to go grab it when suddenly he was tackled. He hit a student desk and banged his head against the wood. Blood trickled down in between his eyes from a cut on his forehead. He pushed Smith off him and balled his fist before punching him in the face. Smith got to his feet shakily only to get punched again. He staggered backwards, falling to the ground and hitting his head against the wall, hard. His eyes closed and he laid there, still.

Draco blinked and looked down at his side which was bleeding profusely. He walked over to Dennis and began to untie him. The kid had a black eye and some cuts on his face but overall, he didn’t look too bad. Draco was untying his hands when he felt Dennis struggling. He looked up, frowning. Why the hell was the kid struggling? He was trying to help him.

Draco found himself hitting the wall, blinding pain shooting up his side. He could feel Smith’s breath on his neck and it made him want to throw up.

“In the movies, the supposedly dead killer always comes back to life,” Smith whispered in his ear.

Enough with the damn horror movies! Draco thought to himself.

He slammed his head back, catching Smith in his already broken nose. The collision hurt like hell, but Draco pushed through the pain and turned around as Smith fell to the ground. Draco grabbed the knife that had fallen from Smith’s hand when he reached up to grab his nose. Draco pushed the knife through Smith’s stomach and jerked it back before doing it once more in the chest. Smith fell to the ground, blood pouring from both wounds. Not wanting him to make any more reappearances, Draco stabbed the knife through Zacharias’ neck, leaving it there.

He wiped his split lip that he had gotten when he was pushed up against the wall, “This isn’t a horror movie, bitch.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Know that I've been waiting for so long  
> You're all that I see  
> I can't stop the feeling oh no  
> It's kicking over me  
> Feel the mercury rising  
> I feel your baseline bumping  
> Hear it in your rhythm  
> You got my heart beat pumping  
> Oh I can't stop it  
> No I can't control it  
> Can you feel it overloading?  
> Oh overloading, heh  
> You can't stop it  
> No you can't control it  
> Can you feel it overloading  
> Oh overloading, heh
> 
> \- "Overload" by Life of Dillon

Draco woke up in the hospital wing, staring up at frame-covered green eyes. He blinked slowly before sitting up.

“He’s up!” Harry yelled, before helping Draco sit up. “Are you okay? Are you in pain?”

“Mate, leave him be,” Ron said, humor in his voice. “He just woke up and already you’re hovering over him like his mother.”

McGonagall approached his bedside, “Mister Malfoy, I am glad to see you are awake. You gave us quite a scare when we found you.”

“Is Dennis okay?” Draco asked, suddenly, his worry for the young boy evident.

McGonagall appeared amused, “Mister Creevey is doing well. You should be more worried about yourself. He told us what happened.”

Draco paled. He killed someone last night. That had to be violating his parole. “Am I going to go to Azkaban?”

Harry grabbed his hand, “Draco, you were acting in self-defense. If you hadn’t had done what you did, both you _and_ Dennis would be dead right now.”

“Mister Potter is right,” McGonagall said. “Some might consider you a hero, Mister Malfoy.”

Draco shook his head, “I’m no hero.”

McGonagall just smiled, “I have some things to attend to and you have some healing to do.” She left the hospital wing.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Harry murmured. His face was pale and he looked like he had been up for hours. “We found you around three in the morning.”

“He hasn’t left your side since,” Ron grinned.

“I was worried,” Harry squeaked, trying to defend himself. “We found him bleeding out in the-”

“Potter,” Draco interrupted. “Shut up and kiss me, you idiot.”

Harry gaped at him before leaning in and planting a kiss on Draco’s lips. Draco placed his hand on the back of Harry’s neck and Harry gripped Draco’s good arm.

“I’m Draco’s best friend!” a shrill voice yelled. “I have a right to see him! Oh, for Merlin’s sake. Finally!”

Draco pulled away to see Pansy and Blaise standing at the foot of his bed, “Oh hello.”

Pansy slapped his foot, “Don’t ‘oh hello’ me! You had me worried sick, Draco Malfoy! Blaise had Millie wake me up and tell me that you weren’t in your bed. And so I rush down to find McGonagall, in my pajamas no less, to find out that you took on Zacharias Smith _on your own_! I’d be so angry if I weren’t so damn proud of you.” She looked between him and Harry. “And now you and Potter are finally together. I feel like I miss everything!”

Draco laughed, feeling all the tension and stress from the past few weeks just melt away. He sat there laughing for who knows how long with his friends staring at him like he had finally lost it. But he didn’t care. He was alive and his friends were safe and Harry Potter just kissed him and life was good. He looked up at Harry who was smiling widely at him, his green eyes full of joy.

Oh yes, life was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of Bad Karma. Thanks for joining me on this wild ride as I wrote (and finished!) my first Harry Potter fanfiction. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you read some of my future works. Thanks! x


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